Discussion
by faithful muse
Summary: The beginning for Alec and Magnus.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Oh no, I've joined the dark side!!

Hah, well, I'm about halfway through reading City of Glass...and to be fairly honest, I don't even like the books all that much--they're fairly interesting and all...but a few of the main characters (and a lot of the writing) annoy me. LOL.

But I do love Alec. I want to squish him. And I think he and Magnus are cute. Thus this fanfic was born. (Instead of me sleeping. UGH.) There will most likely be more at some point.

And if there are like, 432934 discrepancies with the story, I apologize. I didn't check my sources, as I'd borrowed the first book from a friend and returned it already. Bah.

*********************

Alec walked quickly, his shoulders hunched up against the bitter wind. He had his chin tucked into the thick scarf wrapped around his neck, but he wished there was some way to keep the rest of his face from freezing off. Well, a ski mask would work, he supposed, but those weren't exactly socially acceptable. For a mundie bank robbery perhaps, but not for a morning walk.

He pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket, glanced at it quickly, and shoved it back inside before the wind could sting his hands. It should be close. Peering up at curtained windows, Alec took a deep breath and started up the stairs to an apartment.

After two sharp knocks, the door cracked open and a pair of suspicious, catlike eyes peeked out. "It's my day off, so don't think I'll be available for your---oh!" The door opened fully. Alec fought to keep his expression devoid of amusement as he took a good look at Magnus Bane. He was wearing emerald green silk pajamas, fuchsia slippers, and a black and gold brocade robe. His hair was slightly tousled, dark locks framing his face. "Alexander Lightwood, what a pleasant surprise."

Alec pulled the crumpled paper out of his pocket. "I found your note," he stated.

The warlock smiled slowly. "Of course you did," he murmured, too quiet for Alec to be sure of whom he was speaking to. Magnus snatched the note out his hand and waved it with a little flourish. "Come in before we both freeze to death."

Alec nodded and stepped inside, exhaling with relief when the warmth started seeping back into his limbs.

"There's a closet to your right if you want to take off your coat. Sit in the living room when you're ready." Alec glanced around, but Magnus had already vanished around the corner. With a shrug, Alec hung up his coat and scarf and settled uncomfortably onto a wine colored armchair. Magnus slipped back into the room moments later, bearing a silver tray. "Something to warm you up?"

Alec mumbled thanks and wrapped his fingers around a steaming mug, warming his hands. He looked up at the warlock and cocked his head to the side. Magnus was wearing faded teal corduroys and a gray v-necked shirt with a large design scrawled across the front in bronze ink. "You changed your clothes?"

Magnus paused with his mug halfway to his mouth, and Alec could have sworn that he colored slightly. "Well, I couldn't very well have you seeing me like _that_." He ran his fingers through his hair absently. "Even the High Warlock of Brooklyn has days off, you know. If I had been expecting your visit, I would have—"

Without thinking, Alec blurted out, "You look fine." He flushed furiously, not knowing why he'd opened his mouth. "I mean—without all the glitter and the makeup and the crazy hair. You look fine just…as you."

Magnus smirked. "High praise, coming from a Nephilim. So, what brings you to my humble abode?"

Alec sniffed at the dark liquid in his mug. It smelled spicy and exotic and _warm_. "If I remember correctly, _you_ were the one who left an obscure note in my pocket for me to find." He lifted one hand to make quotation marks in the air. "'I have something to discuss. –M. Bane'"

"It's not poisoned or anything."

"Excuse me?"

"Magnus gestured to his own mug. "The tea. That's all it is. I promise."

Alec nodded and took a small sip, his eyes widening as he swallowed. It tasted like---like---

"Autumn Sunset."

"What?"

"That's what it's called. Or what I named it, actually. Potions are interesting and all, but cooking is a lot more _useful_ to experiment with. At least in the day-to-day scheme of things."

Alec closed his eyes and drank deeply. The tea made him feel instantly warmer. His fingertips tingled and he felt the urge to kick off his socks and shoes. Wait, he was getting distracted. "You haven't answered my question."

"Which one?" Magnus leaned forward, resting his chin in the palms of his hands and fixed Alec with those disconcerting eyes.

Alec looked away and took another deep sip. He swallowed and glanced at Magnus quickly before looking back down into his mug. Why was he so uncomfortable? "Why you asked me here. What you had to discuss. Why you slipped a note into my pocket—which I didn't find for two weeks, by the way—instead of asking me directly."

"How is your family doing? And that girl, Clary."

"You're avoiding the subject."

"Not necessarily, I'm just leading up to it."

Alec let out an exasperated sigh. This was going nowhere. "We're all fine. Isabelle has been running around with some guy as usual. We'll see how long _that_ lasts. Clary is, well, she's fine too, I suppose." Why was he telling him this? It wasn't important.

"And Jace?"

Alec finished his tea and set it back onto the tray. He frowned slightly as he thought of the way that Jace looked at Clary. The way that he had never looked at Alec. "Jace is…himself."

Magnus frowned slightly and stretched out on the couch, dangling his legs carelessly over the armrest. "I see. How is he dealing with his new sister?"

"I don't see how any of this is important." Alec tried to keep the tension out of his voice and failed.

Magnus raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Oh, don't you?"

Alec glared. "No, I don't."

Magnus didn't respond, he just looked over at Alec, his eyes skimming slowly over his body. Alec shifted nervously. He should leave. This was pointless and everyone knew that warlocks weren't to be trusted and there was probably something _weird_ in that 'tea' after all…

"Does he know yet?"

Alec stiffened. "Excuse me?"

"Jace. Does he know how you feel?"

Alec stood. "Look, I don't know how my private life is _any_ of your business, so if you haven't anything of importance to say, I'll be leaving."

"Sit." The word was a command, and Alec found his body moving against his will to sink back down to his chair.

"Believe it or not, boy, I'm trying to help you."

Alec snorted. "With what, my _love life?_" His voice cracked on the word love, and he swore silently.

Magnus didn't respond for a long time, he just stared contemplatively up at the ceiling and drummed his fingers against his knee. "You bottle things up," he finally offered.

"I—what?"

Magnus sat up, and Alec flinched back involuntarily. "You always try so hard to look impassive, to hide your emotions. You don't show how you feel, you don't say how you feel, and it's going to turn against you someday."

Alec's eyes narrowed. "You have _some gall—_" but his words were cut off as the warlock's face suddenly appeared inches away, those slitted pupils flicking over Alec's shocked face.

"I want to try something," he murmured, and before Alec could move, his hand was cupped under his chin, tilting his jaw upward—

His eyes widened at first, then slipped shut. The kiss was slow and gentle, and when Magnus pulled away, Alec fought the urge to touch his fingers to his lips.

Magnus sat back down on the sofa, amusement plain on his features as he watched Alec open and close his mouth several times, failing to find an appropriate retort. "No reaction," he stated, mostly to himself.

Alec just stared.

"I mean, usually I get _some _sort of response. You know, either they kiss me back, or they shove me away, shouting something along the lines of 'Bane, you glittery freak, get away from me!' But, nothing at all?"

Alec blinked and cleared his throat. "You're not glittery now. I mean, your hair's not even done."

Magnus winced. "Thanks for the reminder."

Alec stood again, backing towards the door. "Well um, if _that_ was all, I guess I should uh, go back to the Institute."

Magnus shrugged. "If that's what you want." He stood and walked over to the door as Alec fumbled with his coat and scarf. "Think it over and get back to me."

Alec felt the blood rise to his face. "Right. Then. Bye." Without a backwards glance, he left the apartment, concentrating on not tripping down the stairs and ignoring the chuckle behind him.

_Magnus Bane_, he thought to himself, and shook his head quickly. No. That was absolutely ridiculous. He wouldn't—couldn't.

Could he?


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Yes...I had to write more Magnus and Alec. OTL

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Magnus Bane smiled up at the sky. It was a surprisingly sunny and warm out. A fluke in the weather, no doubt. He shrugged. Well, if winter had decided to give him a day of sunshine, he was going to take advantage of it.

Not that he couldn't _make_ the weather sunny and warm whenever he wanted—but that felt like an awful waste of energy. He stretched and relaxed back onto his tie-dyed blanket, folding his hands behind his head. The clouds were drifting plumply across the sky, rolling over one another.

Magnus cocked his head to the side. _That _one, almost looked like a pirate ship. Glancing left and right quickly, he pointed one finger toward the cloud and shaped it. He couldn't help but smirk as he shaped and moved other cloud-forms across his sky-stage.

There was the insufferable villain, Captain Hook! And who was that hiding behind the crow's nest? Why, Peter Pan! The arch enemies dueled fiercely, Hook with his menacing pirate sword, and Peter with naught but a dagger and the gift of flight. Magnus squinted. The cloud ship was almost out of sight. With a final violent gesture, he caused Hook to fall off the plank, only to be swallowed by the snapping jaws of the Crocodile.

Peter Pan, he mused. That was someone he could relate to. The boy who never grew up, always to live in the land of youth and dreams. His brow furrowed as he sat up. Of course, Peter also fell for someone much younger than he was—in years anyhow. And yet Wendy was the symbol of domesticity. She was a mother to him and the other Lost Boys. So much older than her years, but still a child at heart. A child enough to believe in him and love him back.

Magnus snorted. What was he doing? Laying in the grass, dreaming of children's stories and what? It's not like he—

His posture tensed as he saw a figure headed toward him. Alexander Lightwood, walking sulkily across the grass. Glum as ever with his mess of soft black hair, well-worn dark-wash jeans, and some equally drab pullover sweater. Magnus shook his head. The boy clearly had no fashion sense whatsoever. Really, though, who would ever give _him_ a second glance in a crowded room?

Or perhaps that _was_ his point? Maybe he wanted to be invisible.

Magnus kicked himself mentally. Here he was, staring after the boy, instead of getting his attention. He started to raise his hand to wave, but hesitated. Maybe he shouldn't look anxious to see him, after all. It _had _been nearly two weeks since he'd seen the boy last, at his flat.

Bane stretched back out onto his blanket and closed his eyes. Perhaps he'd scared Alec off, come on too strong? The boy was clearly still not very confident in his own sexuality. With a mental shrug, he relaxed and listened to the approaching footsteps.

His brow furrowed as he heard the footsteps stop and pick back up, heading back the way he came. Magnus sat up quickly. "Alec, where do you think you're going?"

Alec stopped his retreat and turned back around, his face slightly flushed. "I um, I didn't know you would be—um, didn't want to disturb…I mean, I've—gotta get back to the Institute…"

Magnus shook his head. The boy was an awful liar. And yet, that vulnerability was so endearing. He patted the blanket beside him. "Have a seat."

"Really though, I need to—"

"You've been avoiding me."

"What? No. It's been busy. Shadowhunting, and then Hodge has been pushing more studies on me than usual, and…"

"Alec. Sit."

With a swallow and an indistinct nod, Alec sat.

"Do I make you nervous or something?"

Alec pulled up a blade of grass and twisted it between his fingers. "Well, not _nervous_, no. It's just, you know. Last time, I—" he flushed crimson and ended his sentence with a quick shake of his head.

Magnus lay back down and closed his eyes. "Well, I'd apologize, but _I'm _not at all sorry. And you know, subtlety isn't a strong suit of mine."

He could almost hear Alec wrinkling his nose. "I know."

Several moments passed in silence. "So, any luck with Jace then?"

Alec's breath caught, and Magnus sensed his body stiffening with tension. "I don't see how that's _any_ of your business," he hissed.

Magnus opened one eye. "On the contrary, it is entirely my business."

"You—"

Magnus held up one hand to silence him, and pushed himself into a sitting position with the other. "I'll be frank about this, since I'm growing a little weary of this waiting-game-shy-flirtation nonsense."

"I'm not flirting!"

Magnus smiled. "Not intentionally, no." He saw Alec shift his weight to stand and stopped him. "Just hear me out this time, okay? I'll stay short and to the point."

"This is crazy, I'm going—"

"No comments unless I ask for them or until I'm finished, please."

Alec glowered, but remained seated. "Fine."

"I've been watching you. At my party, at restaurants, at other Nephilim or Downworlder gatherings. I can see the way that you act around Jace. You're in love with him. On the other hand, I can see his reactions just as plainly. It's not going to happen."

Alec flinched and stared down at the ground, his hair covering his eyes.

"I don't mean that cruelly, I'm just being honest. How old are you?"

"Eighteen," Alec whispered.

Magnus nodded. "So I've been watching you, and here you are, suffering quietly, hoping against all odds for the impossible, but you're too stubborn and single-minded to explore other options. Don't move."

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Close your eyes."

Alec looked up confusedly. "What?"

"That wasn't a question. It was a request."

His eyes narrowed. "I don't see why I would need to."

"Just do it."

He hesitated, but gave a helpless shrug and closed them.

Magnus leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper. "It has to be frustrating. Not being to get what you so desperately want, and yet being powerless to do anything about it."

Alec shivered slightly. Magnus trailed one finger along his jawline and smiled as he felt his breathing quicken. "Don't you want some sort of outlet? You have to have so much pent up…_frustration._"

"I…" Alec's sentence trailed off as the Warlock trailed his lips along his throat, his breath warming his skin.

"So, what do you say?"

Alec's eyes snapped open. Magnus was sitting back looking as cool and nonchalant as if nothing had happened.

"I'm not exactly sure what you're proposing."

"It's quite simple, actually. You're clearly not too comfortable in your own skin, so to speak, so I'd like to help relieve some of that _delicious_ tension."

Alec had to swallow three times before he could form a coherent answer. "Relieve how?"

Magnus couldn't help but chuckle. "You really _are _naïve, aren't you?" When Alec responded only by blushing darker, Magnus leaned forward again. "Let me show you."

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**Author's Note...Again:** I want to continue this, but walking the fine line between fluff and harlequin romance novel has always been difficult for me. The upcoming chapters are going to be marked mature, but I don't want to do that to you guys if that makes you uncomfortable. :) Please leave a comment if graphic scenes bother you, and I will see what I can do to make the next bits less....er....smutty.


	3. Chapter 3

Alec's eyes fluttered open as Magnus pulled away. He tried for coherency, but failed, his mind filled with a singular thought. _Oh._ Realizing that he was staring at Magnus, completely dumbfounded, and with his mouth open, no doubt, Alec flushed and looked away.

Crap, they were definitely still in the park. Not necessarily a very crowded or frequented part of the park, but it was still public. What if someone _saw—_

"You know, if you're worried about someone seeing us, we could always head back to my place."

Alec felt his eyes widen. "Are you suggesting that…" he couldn't finish his sentence, the blood pounding in his ears was too loud and distracting.

Magnus laughed. "Okay, I move fast, yes, but I'm not _that_ insensitive. I'm just trying to get you to be relax, loosen up a bit." Alec looked away again. "We can just sit and _talk_ if that's what you feel like doing. I'll take this as slow as you'd like me to."

Alec fiddled with the hem of his sweater, trying to find something to do with his shaking hands. Something_ other_ than…he shook his head quickly in a vain attempt to clear his thoughts. "Define 'this'." He bit his lip and stared down at the brightly colored swirls on the blanket.

"I _really_ wish you wouldn't do that. Especially not in public."

Alec looked up in time to see Magnus leaning toward him again, mischief gleaming in his eyes. Alec gasped in surprise when Magnus tugged on his bottom lip gently with his teeth. "It's quite suggestive, you see," his voice murmured, his lips trailing along Alec's jawline. Alec shivered.

"We'll go back to your place, but I have to be home before too late."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yes, it's short, but I figure it's less cruel of me than the time jump I had planned.

You're probably figuring out that the POV alternates with each chapter. This will continue for the duration of the story.

To Magnus's apartment! O////O


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the long wait, but I hope this is well worth it for you, my lovely readers. I have to admit, this is my first time writing this sort of thing for a non-heterosexual pairing, so I hope I didn't make anything _too_ awkward. D:

Also, I had a reviewer ask to see a more vulnerable side to Magnus. I hope I got that across for you!

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and favorites. They brighten my day, and they keep me writing. If I could I hug you all, I would, but this is the internet.

Okay, enough cheese. Onward, to the apartment!!

* * *

"Here we are."

Magnus wore a grin as he held the door open for Alec, and the boy stepped shyly inside. He shut the door and locked it behind them. Alec just stood there awkwardly, and Magnus gestured toward the living room. He waited, but the Shadowhunter didn't move.

With a roll of his eyes, Magnus walked past Alec and settled onto a couch, patting the cushion beside him. He watched, amused, as the boy fidgeted, different emotions flickering across his face. Finally, he nodded and sat gingerly on the offered seat.

It was quiet.

Not that Magnus disliked silence. He actually found it quite comfortable at times, but this was an edgy, sitting-on-pinecones-uncomfortable sort of silence. His poor friend seemed about ready to crack. He needed something to relax the mood.

With a quick flourish of his fingers, Bane produced two glasses and a bottle. He popped the cork, and filled both cups with a dark amaranthine liquid that swirled long after its contents should have settled. He held a glass out to Alec. "Drink this."

"What is it?"

"You wouldn't be familiar with it even if I told you the name."

"Okay—what'll it do to me?"

Magnus laughed. As _if_ he would drug the boy into submission. That wasn't quite his style. He frowned slightly. Not that it wouldn't be quite entertaining if he _did_, however…

"Magnus?"

He blinked. "Maybe relax you a bit, but it's nothing to worry about. " He flashed what he hoped was a reassuring smile and Alec shrugged in response.

Magnus took a long, slow sip from his cup to prove his point. "See? Not poisoned, not drugged."

Hesitating, Alec took a tiny sip. His eyes widened as he swallowed. "_Wow."_ He shook his head and tipped his head back, draining the rest in one go.

Magnus's eyebrows raised in shock. "Well, aren't _we_ full of surprises?"

Alec just sighed contentedly and slumped against the back of the couch, closing his eyes. "Alec in Wonderland," he murmured.

Magnus hastily swallowed his laughter. "Beg your pardon?"

Alec opened one eye and fixed it on Bane. "You know. I stumble into some weird enchanted world, meet strange, possibly mad, individuals, and then, stupidly, drink whatever they offer me." Reaching out, he gestured for Magnus to fill his glass, and tossed it back just as quickly as he had the first.

"Stupidly?" Magnus sipped at his drink slowly. One of them needed to have their senses intact, at least.

"Well, look at what happened to Alice."

Magus tapped his chin. "If you're so keen on this analogy, I could conjure up a pretty blue dress for you to wear."

Alec groaned. "Do I _look_ like the kind of guy who would want to wear a dress?"

"Not of your own choice, no. But then again, your wardrobe is so severely lacking in variation that a dress very well could be a step in the right direction."

"Listen, if you want to get me out of my clothes so badly, why don't you just—" Alec clapped his hands over his mouth and turned beet red. Eyes wide, he stared at the bottle on the coffee table. "What the hell _is_ that stuff?"

Magnus smirked and set his glass down, leaning over the boy. "Again, you wouldn't recognize it even if I gave you the name. But you should know that I intended for you only to take a couple sips to ease those nerves of yours."

"Oops."

"Oops may very well be correct." Magnus kissed Alec slowly, drawing him in deeper as he responded shyly. _Two_ full glasses? That was more than enough to turn your average nun into a harlot. It was very tempting to take improper advantage of the situation, but he knew better than that. Besides, the boy was so obviously new at this. It would be so much more fulfilling to break him in gradually.

Magnus realized, with a slight frown, that he was breathing just as heavily as the young Shadowhunter. Alec was finding his feet, so to speak, more quickly than Bane had expected. He moved downward, trailing his lips and tongue over the boy's throat, feeling his racing pulse. Alec gasped as Magnus bit him gently, his body arching up in surprise.

"You enjoy that, Nephilim?"

Alec responded with a soft moan, his hands slipping under the Warlock's shirt. Magnus had to bite back a gasp of his own as his body shivered in anticipation at the boy's touch. _He_ was the experienced one here, wasn't he? He needed to have control.

"Well, aren't we the ever curious explorer?" Quickly, he pulled off Alec's sweater. "Two can play at that game, boy." Magnus bent down to flick his tongue over an exposed nipple, smiling as Alec gasped and dug his fingers into Bane's back. "However," he growled, "I think _I_ may have the upper hand here."

He teased Alec relentlessly, his own arousal fed by his reactions. It was more than tempting to just take him now, fuck him hoarse and senseless. Magnus trembled slightly as he fought to restrain himself. He knew that the boy was much too preoccupied to notice. In the end, he still held the control. He would have Alec overwhelmed. He would have him consumed by his need, and then there would be no question as for whom his affections lay.

"Magnus," Alec pleaded. He was grinding futilely up against Bane, hoping for release.

"Hmm?"

"I thought…I thought you said that—ah!"

"I said what now?"

"You…said…" the words came out in small gasps and Magnus chuckled. The incoherence was quite charming. "You said…relieve…tension…"

"Hmm. And what are you suggesting, exactly?"

"Well, this just seems…to me…quite…tense."

"Does it?"

Alec nodded, whimpering as Magnus licked along his hipbones. "And frustrating. You…" he broke off to groan as Magnus danced his fingers playfully along the front of his jeans. "You said you wanted to…ease my frustration…"

"My dear boy," Magnus laughed. He flicked his tongue over Alec's earlobe and lowered his voice to a whisper. "I do believe you have confused tension and frustration with _anticipation_." He reached down to unbutton Alec's pants, and heard a sigh of relief. "Lucky for you, the wait is up."

_Easy, Bane_, he warned himself. _Remember that selfless acts will pay off later down the road_. He kissed Alec, pleased to find that he responded fiercely. Reaching downward, he wrapped his fingers lightly around Alec's erection. Alec broke away from the kiss with a moan. "Magnus—"

Bane didn't wait for him to find the rest of the words to his sentence, he moved his hands skillfully, watching the boy as his eyes slipped shut, and his head tipped back against the couch cushions. "I take it you don't do this for yourself very often?"

Alec shook his head, his sweat-dampened hair sticking to his forehead and the back of his neck. "N-no, but…you…you—" he cut off with a low cry, his hips rocking upward as he approached his climax.

Magnus grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment." Watching the boy writhe in pleasure beneath him, Magnus felt his self-control slipping slightly. Quickly, almost frantically, he brought him to orgasm, breathing a small sigh of relief as Alec slumped limply against one arm of the couch. Their heartbeats finally slowed to a normal pace, and Magnus tried to force himself to relax.

"Magnus, since you, um…would you like me to, uh…you know?"

Magnus swallowed and looked pointedly across the room at a large clock mounted on the wall. _Of course_ he would 'like him to'. The very thought of the boy disrobing him, touching him, pressing his parted lips against his—

Magnus kicked himself mentally and cleared his throat. "You tempt me, Alexander, but I recall you saying something about returning to the Institute before too late."

Alec sat up, looked at the clock, and swore. Quickly, he pulled on his clothes and ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to tidy it. Jumping up, he darted to the door but hesitated, one hand resting on the handle.

Magnus stepped to his side, bending down to kiss him gently but passionately. When he pulled away, he was pleased to note that Alec was blushing. "Don't worry," he murmured. "I'm sure you'll be back fairly soon."

With a quick nod, Alec left, shutting the door quietly behind him. Absently, Magnus licked one of his fingers and groaned. "Bane," he grumbled to himself, "you need a _long_, cold, shower."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **Okay, this is a silly bit of drabble that I typed up at the beginning of November last year but what the heck...I'll add it into Discussion. It fits. Kinda.

Erm, this takes place (at least) a few weeks after the last chapter. I like to think that Alec is sly enough that it takes people some time to figure out he's missing all the time. (And yeah, I suppose I'm not paying attention to how long actually passed before Alec and Magnus go public in Idris...but I'm lazy :D)

Also, yes he could have used an Iratze but whatever, it's more fun this way.

* * *

Alec walked quickly and silently through the Institute doors. It was early morning, and he hoped that everyone was still in bed.

"YOU!"

Apparently his hopes were in vain. "Good morning, Isabelle."

She stood inside the elevator, arms folded and glowering. "WHERE have you BEEN?"

"I went to a party last night, it got pretty out of hand, and I stayed after to help clean up, and by then it was so late that—"

"You were with _Him_, weren't you?"

Alec's eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Isabelle put her hands on her hips. "I'm not _stupid_, Alec. I know why you're never here anymore. You're out with M—"

Alec clamped a hand over her mouth before she could speak the name. "Shut up, shut _up_!" he hissed. She rolled her eyes in response, but refrained from further comments until they reached Alec's room and the door was shut behind them.

She sat on his bed and crossed her legs. "So, you spent the night. Did you two…." She trailed off suggestively.

Alec flushed. "No, we did NOT." He turned his back to her and started picking up clothing that was strewn across the floor. "I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of this. We're just friends, is all. We stayed up and watched movies. I fell asleep on his couch, and then came back here. The end."

Isabelle sighed dramatically. "So that's why you've been wearing turtlenecks and scarves, even though it's already Spring. Because you're such great _friends._"

"Listen. Nothing of the sort is going on, and regardless, it's _none of your business." _Alec pointed toward the door. "Out. I need to take a shower."

Isabelle shrugged. "A cold one, perhaps." She ducked to avoid the pair of jeans that he chucked at her and slipped out the door.

When she was finally gone, Alec slumped onto his bed. He was so tired, he could just drift to sleep…_no!_ He had a full day ahead of him. He needed to get dressed, suck it up, and act normal. Izzy was already suspicious, he couldn't drop any more hints for her sake.

Alec grabbed clean clothes from his closet at random, and half-jogged to the bathroom, hoping to avoid any confrontation with his sister. He pulled off his clothes and stepped into the shower, turning the water as hot as he could stand. Steam filled the bathroom and Alec sighed as the hot water loosened his sore muscles.

He hadn't lied entirely. They _hadn't_ had sex…not technically. Alec knew that Magnus was moving slowly for his sake, and he appreciated that. He always got nervous whenever they seemed to be doing something borderline. Luckily, Magnus was quite observant, and would always seem to switch tactics whenever Alec felt uncomfortable or embarrassed.

Alec frowned. It wasn't like he didn't want it. He swallowed quickly as memories of last night flashed across his mind. It was—Alec couldn't even find a word to describe it.

When his hands had…and his mouth…and _oh god_, Alec had wanted to scream—probably had, actually—and he didn't want him to stop, _oh please, yes, keep, yes…_that, do _that…_

Alec had wanted more, _needed_ more, but at the same time, something held him back, and Magnus had seen that, seen the fear and hesitation, and he stayed on the other side of the line.

Alec shook his head and turned off the water, grabbing a towel and drying off. He just needed time, and it wasn't like they didn't have plenty of it. It was just keeping the whole deal a secret. His parents were probably wondering why their son had such a sudden desire to go out "on walks" and the like so often.

Maybe they suspected? Alec shook his head. If they did, they probably assumed it was a girl, and he hated to crush their hopes. Alec wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped out of the shower.

"Oh…my…_God…"_

Alec froze. Isabelle was standing in the bathroom, holding her toothbrush and staring at him, her jaw dropped. Crap, crap…he wasn't wearing a shirt.

Before Alec could react, Isabelle had set her toothbrush on the counter and placed her hands on his shoulders, her eyes wide and ogling at his skin. "Oh my god, Alec. You have hickeys _everywhere._ Wow, this is the worst I've ever seen—_are those bite marks?" _

Alec stepped back quickly, making a futile attempt to cover himself with his hands. "I swear, Isabelle, if you tell anyone, I'm going to _kill_ you."

She smiled angelically, and Alec couldn't help but feel like this was going to bite him (_hah)_ later on down the road. Her eyes flicked down to his towel. "Don't tell me, there's even—"

"OUT. NOW."

She nodded, winking at him before slipping out the door, and Alec repressed the urge to sink to the floor in fetal position and panic. Who knows how long she was capable of keeping her mouth shut?

Alec prayed that it was long enough for him to move out and get a place of his own, because his parents were going to have a heart attack otherwise.

* * *

**EDIT: 5/16/11**

Okay, so I made a goal to wrap up all my stories on this account, and I'm sorry guys, but I haven't the foggiest idea how to salvage this one. I'm just going to say that it's finished.

As a bit of recompense, I'm going to post an additional Malec fic. Apparently it won't let me post a direct link on here, so you can just look it up from my page. It's called "It's not exactly a honeymoon". Hope you enjoy!


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